Custom LDD bricks and fixes

[Kuramapika1]

7 hours ago, Stephan said:

Can you send me your connection data for 4274?

Just open the 4274.xml and change the legnth of axel 19 to a number less than 0.8

[Stephan]

On 9/12/2023 at 3:17 AM, Kuramapika1 said:

Just open the 4274.xml and change the legnth of axel 19 to a number less than 0.8

That doesn't work, because then they don't attach to pin holes anymore..

Edited September 13, 2023 by Stephan

[Kuramapika1]

4 hours ago, Stephan said:

That doesn't work, because then they do'n attach to pin holes anymore..

Stange; this is wath I do:

a. Open the .xml file, make the change needed and save the change. DO NOT CLOSE THE FILE!

b. Then delete the db folder located in roaming/legocompany (I think you know wath I'm saying)

c. Open ldd and check if the change in .xml file work

d. If it work, adjust as your pleasure til you are happy. Then and ONLY then close the .xml file

Hope this help you.

[Stephan]

On 9/13/2023 at 1:17 AM, Kuramapika1 said:

Stange; this is wath I do:

a. Open the .xml file, make the change needed and save the change. DO NOT CLOSE THE FILE!

b. Then delete the db folder located in roaming/legocompany (I think you know wath I'm saying)

c. Open ldd and check if the change in .xml file work

d. If it work, adjust as your pleasure til you are happy. Then and ONLY then close the .xml file

Hope this help you.

That also doesn't work. And that is partly because the db folder contains all part data so you are deleting your part library, and partly because connection 19 (Hollow Technic pin) is in collision with connection 21 (Hollow bar (OD: Ø3.2mm ID: Ø1.5mm)). Connection type 6 (Bar Ø3.2mm holder) is used to connect the 3.18 bars to this part. When you remove connection 19, everything is fine with hollow bars, but the part does not attach to Technic holes anymore. Use connection 3 (Technic pin Ø4.8mm) and (hollow) bar no longer fit. This collision is probably due to auto-generated collision boxes of these connections (just like with studs which have auto-generated collision boxes assigned to them) and is not something we can fix. If you have found a fix, please share your connection data, since for part 4274, mine are and I tried every combination of these connections, but can not find a solution:

  <Connectivity>
    <Axel type="19" length="0.8" grabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="1" angle="120" ax="-0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="-0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="0" />
    <Custom2DField type="23" width="2" height="2" angle="90" ax="-1" ay="0" az="0" tx="-0.4" ty="-0.4" tz="-0.8">
      29:0,29:0,29:0,
      29:0,3:4:38,29:0,
      29:0,29:0,29:0
    </Custom2DField>
    <Axel type="6" length="0.979" grabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="0" angle="120" ax="0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="-0.979" />
  </Connectivity>

 

[Kuramapika1]

4 hours ago, Stephan said:

That also doesn't work. And that is partly because the db folder contains all part data so you are deleting your part library, and partly because connection 19 (Hollow Technic pin) is in collision with connection 21 (Hollow bar (OD: Ø3.2mm ID: Ø1.5mm)). Connection type 6 (Bar Ø3.2mm holder) is used to connect the 3.18 bars to this part. When you remove connection 19, everything is fine with hollow bars, but the part does not attach to Technic holes anymore. Use connection 3 (Technic pin Ø4.8mm) and (hollow) bar no longer fit. This collision is probably due to auto-generated collision boxes of these connections (just like with studs which have auto-generated collision boxes assigned to them) and is not something we can fix. If you have found a fix, please share your connection data, since for part 4274, mine are and I tried every combination of these connections, but can not find a solution:

  <Connectivity>
    <Axel type="19" length="0.8" grabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="1" angle="120" ax="-0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="-0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="0" />
    <Custom2DField type="23" width="2" height="2" angle="90" ax="-1" ay="0" az="0" tx="-0.4" ty="-0.4" tz="-0.8">
      29:0,29:0,29:0,
      29:0,3:4:38,29:0,
      29:0,29:0,29:0
    </Custom2DField>
    <Axel type="6" length="0.979" grabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="0" angle="120" ax="0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="-0.979" />
  </Connectivity>

 

Very strange. When I delete the folder and open LDD, it apear again. Maybe you are doing something wrong?

Any way here it is my code (the only diference is the length):

<Connectivity>
    <Axel type="19" length="0.3" requireGrabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="1" angle="120" ax="-0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="-0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="0"/>
    <Custom2DField type="23" width="2" height="2" angle="90" ax="-1" ay="0" az="0" tx="-0.4" ty="-0.4" tz="-0.8">
      29:0,29:0,29:0,
      29:0,3:4:38,29:0,
      29:0,29:0,29:0
    </Custom2DField>
    <Axel type="6" length="0.979" grabbing="0" startCapped="0" endCapped="0" angle="120" ax="0.57735" ay="0.57735" az="0.57735" tx="0" ty="0" tz="-0.979"/>
  </Connectivity>

Question: do you open the .xml file from your folder of choice or from C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer?

Before to copy my code, try open the .xml file from the folfer of choice and do the changes, repeating the process I write before.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Kuramapika1
Bad writing of a word.

[Stephan]

10 hours ago, Kuramapika1 said:

Question: do you open the .xml file from your folder of choice or from C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer?

I tried it with Brick Editor software and with your method, minus deleting the db folder since I have thousands of new 'custom' parts and decoration added. My db folder is located in C:\Users\Admin\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer.

Final check: does your LDD have collisions turned off.

[Kuramapika1]

3 hours ago, Stephan said:

Final check: does your LDD have collisions turned off.

Never touch the collision; and if I did it, I didn't realize.

I will check if the collision is turned on or off and see if this is the "origin" of the problems.

[Kuramapika1]

Checked: it's nothing to do with "Toggle Physics Test" (it turned ON).

By the way: I have two DB folders: one in C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer and the other in my pre-defined folder (the one LDD ask to install the software the first time; in my case it's in an external HDD).

When I use the .xml file from the C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer have no effect at all; so I need to use the other .xml, from the other folder.

[Stephan]

1 hour ago, Kuramapika1 said:

By the way: I have two DB folders

When I go to the installation folder, I have no db folder there... So that's funny.

No idea what's going here in this case... I only have the C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer db folder and that's also the folder where I update and change all existing parts.

I e-mailed @polymaker about this issue as well and hope for a reaction soon.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Stephan

[Kuramapika1]

1 hour ago, Stephan said:

When I go to the installation folder, I have no db folder there... So that's funny.

Yes, it's funny. Maybe if you extract db.lif again have the proper folders?

[Corellian Corvette]

Sorry to post at the end of a 99 page thread. Is it possible (or has someone already) done just a minifigure HAND as a single element? 

It exists in Stud.io without breaking apart a figure, and I was hoping someone might have enabled it as an element in LDD and I just missed it.

Thanks!

[ChevyFan440]

It would have to be a new brick, I think. As far as I know, the hand geometry in LDD is just the hand and wrist, with no bar beyond it like on the actual piece. 

[Stephan]

5 hours ago, ChevyFan440 said:

It would have to be a new brick, I think. As far as I know, the hand geometry in LDD is just the hand and wrist, with no bar beyond it like on the actual piece. 

Correct! LEGO cheated a bit here.

[shroomzofdoom]

Is there something like a CADA/3rd party parts pack for LDD? Looking through the thread here it doesn't look like it'd be easy for me to do myself without some experience, I tried a few things and embarrassed to say how much time I spent on it before I gave up.  

Among other things, I collect compatible designs that don't exist in the formal Lego world (a few examples below) most are CADA, a few are gobricks.

Edited September 23, 2023 by shroomzofdoom

[Stephan]

On 9/23/2023 at 3:54 PM, shroomzofdoom said:

Is there something like a CADA/3rd party parts pack for LDD?

I remember that at the start, when we were just working with adding parts to LDD, when polymaker just cracked the code, CaDa was in contact with me if they could supply CAD files in order for me to add them to LDD.
Because LDD was not official abandoned by LEGO at that moment, I told them that it would not be possible. If they want to re-consider, I am happy to add them for the people that are interested in them.

 

HELP WANTED!!

I need help with a UV projection and UV map for 28621 where the UV map comprises the complete head, instead of what is going now with 3626 which consists of 2 decoration surfaces.
And help with adding a decoration surface to 24946 (Egg) and creating the UV map for it for me.
And if possible as well for 32474 [Technic ball].

Edited September 28, 2023 by Stephan

[Kuramapika1]

Hello @Stephan: I did your request but I'm not sure if it is what you wanted, specialy the UV images. Here

By the way: how did it go with the 4274.xml and DB folder? Can you solve the problem?

[Stephan]

On 10/2/2023 at 5:12 AM, Kuramapika1 said:

I did your request but I'm not sure if it is what you wanted, specialy the UV images.

Yes, awesome! The minifig head and the egg turned out awesome. The Technic ball I managed to find something that seems to work in the mean time.

On 10/2/2023 at 5:12 AM, Kuramapika1 said:

By the way: how did it go with the 4274.xml and DB folder? Can you solve the problem?

No, unfortunately not. I have tried everything. I am already in contact with polymaker to see if we can change LDD's internal automatic collision data.

[Kuramapika1]

21 hours ago, Stephan said:

No, unfortunately not. I have tried everything. I am already in contact with polymaker to see if we can change LDD's internal automatic collision data.

What a problem you have! Question: do you keep the Assets.lif file? the DB.lif file is inside of it (Assets.lif, in the instalation folder).

[Stephan]

5 hours ago, Kuramapika1 said:

do you keep the Assets.lif file? the DB.lif file is inside of it (Assets.lif, in the instalation folder).

I will check this tomorrow. I think I did. Could be that the internal collision definition is defined there. And by deleting it, you disable auto-collision generation for certain connection types. 

[dz9r]

Hi,  I need some help with ldd,

Using an old pc, (windows 7 service pack 1)

I installed 4.3.11 and it worked fine, then when I installed the new parts pack the most recent one, I got an error regarding open GL, but studio works perfectly fine. I ended up uninstalling .11 and reinstalling 4.3.10 and installed the parts pack and it worked perfectly, but I don't have the parts from 4.3.11.  Now Is there any way to import the parts from 4.3.11 into 4.3.10.

I found the .lif creator program,

Am I able to pack all the files from 4.3.11 create a lif file and then unpack it in 4.3.10.

[BrokenEye]

I've come across another bug. The holder on the top of the Islander hair doesn't seem to want to connect with most holdable shafts, including the bone (which should fit, as it's been used that way in actual sets) and most samurai horns. It doesn't seem to be a collision box issue. It doesn't do the thing where the piece snaps into place where the connection would normally be but then goes all transparent to show it won't fit. It doesn't snap into place at all. I think the connection itself is wonky somehow.

The islander feather crest and the cow horns do connect, though, as do some other more offbeat items such as the handcuffs, Sith lightning, and even the Batarang (plus some other things that can connect but don't fit because of collisions). Are there two different kind of holdable shaft connections?

Edited October 20, 2023 by BrokenEye

[macouso]

@Stephan

As already asked here : it would be good to have pack with JUST THE NEW ADDITIONS, not everything together, so the pack would be much smaller in size and yet we could exactly know what is new in a specific release without going thru this post all the time just to check what is new...just saying + good job, of course!

BTW regarding your bricks: you have some wrongly generated outlines where they should not be, like edge across a face (I have picture but this forum is saying I used all of my 106kb space...106kb of space, in yr 2023, go figure cos I can't!), you could/should fix those in your next brick pack (well, of course only in case there'll be any in the future).

Another thing is that my brick parts I created (.g, .g1, g2 etc) are visually separated around their outline connections of those parts once loaded in the LDD as if the normals at the point of connection of g parts of the brick are different for some reason thus giving it feel of visually separate parts of the brick, tho when seen in Blender they look seamless as one, like there is no smooth cross between those different g parts of the brick. It is more like they are two separate parts in one object which should not be - how do you do it then when yours still look smooth transition between those different g parts once in LDD? Is it something wrongly done in Blender (as there is prolly nothing we can do with this in the Brick Studio)? Could you post some example (.blend file) or good practical advice regarding this to see how it should actually be done so that those transitions between different .g parts of the brick looks still smooth as one piece once in LDD?

Edited October 20, 2023 by macouso

[Stephan]

11 hours ago, macouso said:

yet we could exactly know what is new in a specific release without going thru this post all the time just to check what is new...

With every update there is an LXF file included that includes all new, updated, updated new and new decorated parts. I started with separate files for each update but that caused too much trouble for people who did not download all previous updates. Having one file also makes sure that everyone has the same, latest version of parts so they either all have the same issues, or have all a good working part.

11 hours ago, macouso said:

BTW regarding your bricks: you have some wrongly generated outlines where they should not be, like edge across a face (I have picture but this forum is saying I used all of my 106kb space...106kb of space, in yr 2023, go figure cos I can't!)

You should use a file hosting site for your images. Like Bricksafe. The forum has a lot of users and if they all have unlimited upload space, the server would need to be huge and expensive. Related to the outline question: let me know which parts it's about. At this moment I do not (yet) have the knowledge to fix these outlines on curved surfaces.

 

11 hours ago, macouso said:

how do you do it then when yours still look smooth transition between those different g parts once in LDD?

I have no idea to be honest. The issue still occurs at my parts as well, mainly with decoration surfaces. I heard that it is caused by the direction of the normals on the edges, but I did not find an option in Blender to fix that. There are users in the forum that have mastered this 3D modelling skill, but I started with less than zero knowledge about Blender. So, I think it is a matter of choosing the correct location to hide an g surface edge.

 

BTW, I am trying to issue an update tomorrow. I finally finished all Braille bricks!

[macouso]

Thanks for the reply!

I know this prolly won't help anyone, just would like to say that at the moment I solved that g parts transition issue by creating one single mesh out of those g1, g2, g3 etc. brick sections (becoming one g1 part) and the "main" g brick is actually just some bottom part, so everything is basically one huge object thus smooth after all, haha (I know it's kind of lame but still works beautifully + of course that also means completely re-design UV mapping as well).

As for the edge outlines: in some of new releases of LDD Brick Editor there will be new option to add your own edges outline mesh (we discussed this in Issues section on GitHub), so one can define himself exactly what he wants them to be + it will be much faster, actually immediate effect without waiting for that sometimes erroneous - sometimes, ehm in my case everytime not working at all -  generation inside the app.

28802 is the brick ID of that custom brick of yours with wrong "strike-thru" outline (it is from the backside of the brick) - ignore that flex brick tho. :-)

 

 

BTW can we ask for a bricks here too? If so, I would also like to see some of older bricks from 80s, like 2641

Edited October 21, 2023 by macouso

[Stephan]

On 10/20/2023 at 10:32 AM, BrokenEye said:

I've come across another bug. The holder on the top of the Islander hair doesn't seem to want to connect with most holdable shafts, including the bone (which should fit, as it's been used that way in actual sets) and most samurai horns. It doesn't seem to be a collision box issue. It doesn't do the thing where the piece snaps into place where the connection would normally be but then goes all transparent to show it won't fit. It doesn't snap into place at all. I think the connection itself is wonky somehow.

The islander feather crest and the cow horns do connect, though, as do some other more offbeat items such as the handcuffs, Sith lightning, and even the Batarang (plus some other things that can connect but don't fit because of collisions). Are there two different kind of holdable shaft connections?

Which PartIDs?

11 hours ago, macouso said:

28802 is the brick ID of that custom brick of yours with wrong "strike-thru" outline

This should be easy fixable! I'll update this part in the next update.

11 hours ago, macouso said:

BTW can we ask for a bricks here too? If so, I would also like to see some of older bricks from 80s, like 2641

I will see if I can add it in the upcoming update. if not, it will be in the next one.